A blistering R.E.M., at its best

April 1, 2008|By Scott Thill Metromix

R.E.M, Accelerate (Warner Bros.)

Back story: From the dark arpeggios of their debut Chronic Town EP all the way up to this blistering return to form, R.E.M. has remained one of rock music's towering titans. (Not bad for a band that once sang, "Standing on the shoulders of giants / Leaves me cold.")

After starting out as underground darlings in the Reagan '80s, the Athens, Ga., legends crossed over quick-style in the Clinton '90s and became full-fledged masters in the Bush '00s.

What's next? What else: Change.

Why you should care: Murmur. Reckoning. Fables of the Reconstruction. Document. Green. Out of Time. Few bands have cared, about simply everything, as much as R.E.M. Frontman Michael Stipe's bleeding heart has galvanized political activists and industry loyalists alike, and as he cautions on this effort's moving, winsome Until the Day is Done, there's still plenty of work crying out for completion.

Verdict: Accelerate is easily one of the band's finest releases, and certainly the loudest. Stipe's growling, urgent vocals are a jarring departure from some of his more recent down-tempo deliveries, and sociopolitically charged barn-burners like Living Well Is the Best Revenge and Man-Sized Wreath are well-deserved rants on war, media and the vacuum otherwise known as American pop culture.

Even when Stipe stumbles - on the power balladry of Hollow Man, for example - his heart is so firmly screwed to the right place that the song flies by. R.E.M. die-hards will appreciate the fire, and late adopters will bang for the rawk, especially Peter Buck's ax-shredding on the stunning Sing for the Submarine.